Halloween is the perfect excuse to dress up in costume, dance all night, and indulge in sugar filled treats! To celebrate the spooky day, many people host parties, which seem like all fun and games until you take a closer look at your hardwood floors afterwards. Yikes!
If you’re planning to host a gathering or a party this Halloween season, don’t fret! We’ve got you and your floors covered! These are our tips and tricks to prepping your hardwood for Halloween:
1. Foot Traffic and Hardwood Scratches
A Halloween party is not a party without a dance floor! To protect your hardwood from heavy foot traffic and scratches, we suggest laying down an area rug or mat in high traffic areas such as entrances, hallways, and the dance floor. Area rugs and mats prevent direct shoe to floor contact, ultimately lessening the chances of knicks and scratches. Get creative with this – don’t be afraid to bust out a Halloween themed rug to go with the occasion. It’s not just festive, it is practical too!
Another way to prevent hardwood horror scratches is by blocking off certain spaces in your home. If your get-together is smaller, it is a good idea to keep it to 1-2 spaces, that way, there will be less foot work and potential hardwood damage in multiple rooms. Like stated previously, get creative! Sure- closing a door will send the “keep out” message but imagine caution tape or cobwebs! Again, this method is both festive and practical.
2. Games, Party Activities, and Floor Damage
We urge you to pre-plan movement-intensive activities such as dancing and games to take place outdoors! If you keep the fun outside, your hardwood floors will thank you as there will be less movement taking place on your flooring. Less movement on your hardwood = less damage and less cleanup.
Games involving any liquid is definitely recommended to be set up outdoors as liquid of any kind can really hurt hardwood flooring, if proper care is not done immediately after the spill. If dancing and games must be hosted indoors, it is best to keep it to one room – preferably a room that is carpeted, has an area rug or the most mats to prevent scratches!
3. Halloween Party Food and Drinks 
It’s almost guaranteed that sweets, goodies, and drinks will be included at your Halloween get-together, so be prepared for spills! To lessen the chances of food and drink spills, make sure you provide everyone with a plate, napkins, and seal-able cups/bottles. Another great tip is to keep tables close by so guests have a place to put down their food, drinks, and waste as oppose to placing them on the floor.
If possible, try to avoid super sticky candies – trust us, you don’t want to risk having a sticky treat stuck on your hardwood, it doesn’t just up the chances of damaging your hardwood flooring but it also isn’t fun to clean up afterwards! However, these things do happen, so always be ready! Have cleaning supplies close by for convenience and remember our do’s and don’ts to maintaining your hardwood flooring.
With these tips you should be able to enjoy a stress-free celebration – before, during, and after! Happy Halloween from the Modern Hardwood team. For more advice on hardwood care, please reach out to us! We are always happy to share our expertise with you.